Life and the Pursuit of Happiness
by NELLIEBOO14
Summary: One never expects for good fortune to come their way. All we can do is hope that things go in our favor or that by some great miracle things will turn out just fine. We never expect to get the things we long for the most.


**AN/: **Hello there! This is my very first fic so review and be gentle pwease…I should update about once a week if anyone is interested and suggestions, feedback, and criticism are openly accepted…thanx!

**Warning/:** This fic is rated M people so that means there will eventually be some M/M sex and M-preg in the future…with that said **if you don't like please don't read**!

**Disclaimer/: **I hereby declare that I do not own anything besides the plot of the story. I give all honors to JK Rowling.

**Chapter 1**

One never expects for good fortune to come their way. All we can do is hope that things go in our favor or that by some great miracle things will turn out just fine. We never expect to get the things we long for the most. We probably wouldn't know what to do with it if we actually did, like a dog chasing a car or the mailman. I mean really…what would a dog actually do if it ever caught one? And isn't it better if they don't? They will at least have something to work toward; a goal or a wish of some sort.

But when it comes to matters of the heart, things are always a bit more complicated. Often the ones we want, the people we long for the most, are forbidden, unattainable. In some cases because of larger differences, or even smaller ones, but there always seems to be one obstacle or another barring our way from true love. And that's what was bouncing through Harry's brain as he sat day dreaming in Charms class.

Since the start of seventh year things were different. He was now 17 (finally) and his thoughts had been wondering to life after Hogwarts for some time, out of nervousness or anxiousness he couldn't tell. _How will I earn a living? Where will I live? Who will I share my life with?_ Questions like these had been popping up all year so far, though the last one startled him a bit. It was expected of him to become an Auror. He was leaning more towards a Mediwizard. He knew he didn't want to stay at Grimmauld Place. It was way too large for himself alone. The word _alone_ stuck out to him. Looking around he realized that everyone had someone else. Ron had Hermione (big surprise there). Pansy had Blaise. Ginny had Dean. Neville had Luna. Even Crabbe and Goyle had the Patille sisters (weird, I know). He seemed to be the only one without a companion. He was gay, he found out due to a particularly embarrassing episode with an adult magazine, so that eliminated all witches. And there was a good amount of gay wizards looming around the castle, but none of them seemed to have that certain spark. Except one.

Just to make things a bit more clear, since his return to Hogwarts Harry had discovered a secret attraction for Draco Malfoy that was completely unexplainable. He couldn't understand where it had come from or why, but he felt differently about him. He sometimes caught himself fantasizing about ripping the other boy's clothes off and it was evident to him that he had a serious problem if he wanted to shag his arch nemesis. However, something was pushing him towards the Slytherin Prince and his strength couldn't withstand the pressure much longer.

Draco Malfoy was every bit of the god he proclaimed himself to be since he stepped foot into Hogwarts from summer break some three months ago. He had come of age early May and it had done him much justice. He had grown five inches to a flattering height of 6'1". His hair had grown long enough to graze his shoulders and shimmered when the sunlight caught the blonde tresses just right. His skin, while still pale, was smooth and flawless and his eyes shined bright silver. He gained a little more muscle over the break, but not too much; just enough to give him a slightly toned, slim build. He was absolutely gorgeous and he knew it right along with every first-year girl of every house and a few older witches and wizards as well. Yes, he was stunning, but he wasn't the only one receiving lustful glances.

Draco had noticed that Harry Potter, bane of his existence, had also gone through some major changes over the summer break. Potter's once mangled dark hair was now unruly in a sexy sort of way and raven black. His skin was sun kissed and tanned just right, so that it glowed even when indoors. His eyes were a startling vibrant emerald green and his toned, muscled body looked strong and dominant. He had also grown to be about an inch taller than Draco himself, much to his dismay, to stand at 6' 2". Yes, Potter was undeniably flawless as well, no matter how much he didn't want to admit it.

But the most interesting thing about this whole coming of age ordeal, Draco found, was that no one else seemed to have changed as much as he and Potter had. I mean, of course most of them had grown a few inches and gotten a bit more attractive since turning 17, but his and Potter's changes were almost extreme to the point where others were hesitant to accept that they were the same two people that were sixth-years just before break. Mind boggling it all was.

Draco decided that he would leave it alone for the moment and hoped that no one had caught him observing (border-line ogling) the Boy-Who-Lived across the Great Hall. But as per usual a certain Headmaster always paid close attention to his students, especially those that were in for such an interesting year.

Harry was glad the day was over. As a seventh-year student his classes were way more demanding and he had to admit that right now his instructors were kicking his arse. He had left the Great Hall early, due to a lack of energy, and retired back to his dorm. As a part of a new policy at Hogwarts, all seventh year students earned the privilege of sharing a dorm with only one other student, instead of three. Harry thankfully was rooming with Ron. The only downfall there was that Ronald often brought Hermione back up to his rooms and Harry dreaded to even imagine what they did in there. Most of the time he just lounged around in the common room or, on particularly nice days, outside on the lawn, which is where he headed once he dropped his belonging onto his bed. He had a lot of thinking time on his hands and it was always good for him to be alone to clear his mind.

It was no secret that Harry had vanquished the Dark Lord at the very end of his sixth year. He was actually glad that old Voldie decided to show up after school let out. His biggest fear was that he would be attacked at Hogwarts and he would put so many innocent lives in danger. Luckily, Voldemort was daft enough to think that Harry would be weaker away from school and his precious Dumbledore wouldn't be there to save him. So he followed Harry back to the Dursley's on Private Drive. What Voldemort failed to realize was that Harry had even more protection away from Hogwarts than he did at the castle because of Dumbledore's fear that he was in danger while he wasn't being watched at school. Dumbledore himself, along with the rest of the Order, placed specially crafted wards on the Dursley's home so as to weaken any intruder who wished to harm Harry. The wards in fact gave Harry the intruder's power and the longer the attacker remained within the wards the more magical power was sucked from their bodies. Harry was easily able to cast defense charms at Voldemort who was rapidly losing his magical abilities as he threw curse after curse. Once Harry realized that Voldemort was weakening, he cast the killing curse upon him, sucking the life from his mangled from, leaving nothing but a lifeless shell behind.

Voldemort's demise was leaked to all the wizarding newspapers only moments after it happened and Harry wasn't charged with using an unforgivable or practicing magic while under-aged by the Ministry. Everyone was too happy to care that about 2,500 muggles had witnessed the attack that day. Eventually many of them were obliviated or just sent to the nearest muggle insane asylum.

And as Harry lay on the grass and stared idly at the setting sun, he felt a sense of fulfillment and joy come over him. It had taken him quite a while to get over the fact that he had taken someone's life, even if it was the same monster who had taken both his parents from him and attempted to take his life countless times. He didn't like the way it made him feel afterwards. He felt almost as bad as Voldemort and no matter how many times Hermione told him he was nothing like that hideous excuse for a wizard, Harry still took some time coming to grips with what transpired that day on Private Drive.

It was nearly evening and the sun was almost tucked safely behind its blanket of clouds, when a shadow was casted over Harry as he lay, eyes closed, upon the lawn. Harry scrunched his face in confusion as to what could possibly be blocking the warmth of the sun.

"What on earth are you doing lying out here?" someone asked with an unmistakable drawl.

"I'm minding my business Malfoy. It's something you should practice sometimes." Harry responded, sitting up from his very comfortable position on the ground.

"Well, so much for trying to be civil." Malfoy said, turning his back on Harry and starting back towards the castle. His curiosity about the very similar changes they had experienced over the break had finally got the best of him and he thought he would go straight to the source to figure out what exactly was going on.

"Wait…wait up, Malfoy." Harry said, jogging to catch up with the swiftly retreating blonde. Draco stopped at the sound of Harry's request and turned to face the raven-haired boy with a look of frustration.

"Sorry for being rude back there. I just thought you were being your old annoying self again. It was kind of a reflex." Harry said, rubbing the back of his neck at the embarrassment of apologizing to Malfoy.

Draco's face relaxed and he sighed, deciding that if he was going to figure anything out he was going to need Potter's help, so he might as well be nice.

"It's fine." He said, folding his arms at his chest and staring back at Harry. "I actually wanted to talk to you about something important."

At Harry's surprised look Draco chose to explain further. "I don't know if you have noticed already, but you and I are not the same two wizards we used to be." He started, easing into the topic. At the sight of Harry's confused look, he continued. "Over the summer, many of us have come of age and because of that we have all changed some. Most witches or wizards develop physically, such as the growing of height or hair; however, you and I seem to have done a little bit more than that." As Harry's facial expression changed from one of confusion to one of interest, Draco continued. "For some reason we have grown exceptionally and our physical attributes have been heightened. Our eyes seem to be brighter and our skin glitters in the sunlight. Any blemishes we had before, excluding your scar, I presume have vanished. I know that mine have and I'm guessing that yours have as well. Also, our bodies have changed." Draco blushed slightly at this revelation, causing Harry's eyebrows to rise in suspicion.

"Our bodies?" Harry asked, speaking for the first time since Malfoy had began his discourse.

"Yes, our bodies. They seemed to have become more defined in the muscular department." Draco elaborated, averting his eyes from Harry's toned arms. With further thought about what Malfoy was telling him, Harry realized how true it all was. Granted he knew very little about what normally happened when a wizard came of age, but he had noticed that his body had went through some major changes, though he hadn't paid it much attention until now.

"Okay…so what does this all mean?" Harry asked, gazing expectantly at Draco.

"I haven't the slightest clue at the moment." Draco admitted. "But, I was hoping we could attempt at trying to figure this out. I am aware of our current dislike for one another, but I figure we are both mature enough to put our differences aside." It was true that Malfoy had matured greatly and he hadn't had much of a problem out of him all year so far. Harry's only hesitation was that fact that he had a growing attraction for the blonde boy that he wanted to keep secret. He didn't know how much working with Malfoy would fuel or dampen his feelings for him, but he didn't want the other boy to get suspicious of him, so he agreed.

"So what do you propose we do?" Harry asked, leading the way back into the Entrance Hall. They had been standing outside all that time and the sun had finally retreated to allow the coolness of the night to emerge.

"Honestly, I'm not really equipped with a plan, but I figure that the library would be a good enough place to start as any." Draco replied. So, off to the library they went, receiving gasps and stares every step of the way. It was sort of awkward to be seen walking down the hall with your enemy, Harry presumed, but if it was for a good cause then he wouldn't complain.

"So do you suspect that something is wrong with us?" Harry asked, trying to make small talk.

"Actually, I don't know for sure…"

"Well do you know anything?" Harry blurted, interrupting Draco from his previous thought.

Draco stopped in his tracks and gave Harry his second annoyed look of the evening. "Look Potter, I've told you that what has happened to us isn't normal. Do you think I would be traipsing around the school with you if I knew what was going on? Do you think I would be headed for the library right now if I knew exactly what was wrong with us?" Draco said glaring intensely at Harry.

Once again, Harry flushed with embarrassment. "Guess not." He feebly replied. Draco sighed and rolled his eyes as he continued on their trek to the library wondering what possessed him to ask for Potter's help in the first place. He was perfectly capable of doing this on his own, he thought. They arrived to the library a few minutes later, which was sprinkled with students here and there. Both boys quickly dashed for a table towards the back of the quiet room, hoping to go unnoticed by any prying eyes.

"Where do you suggest we start?" Harry asked in a whisper.

"Hmmm…I guess it might be best to start in the _Medical Symptoms_ section, seeing as though we have not a clue what this is called or if it has a name at all." Draco said with a thoughtful look on his face. Harry nodded and went off to find any books that mentioned their symptoms. Both boys were aware that it was getting late, but didn't really care due to the fact that they had no morning classes the next day.

Hours passed and the books that were stacked upon their table continued to grow in size until there were surely nearly 30 books piled on top of one another. Harry stood gazing at the large grouping of books reproachfully. By the looks of things it would take them forever to go through every last one of them. Hopefully, they would find what they were looking for soon, Harry thought pulling out a chair and sitting heavily.

"Well, I guess I'll start on this end and you can start on that one." Harry suggested grabbing a rather thick and dusty book that was sitting a little ways away from him.

"Alright and we can notify one another if we find anything worth our while." Draco said before opening his own book. The boys got started on their searching and took notes upon some parchment that Draco took the liberty of conjuring for them to write on. It wasn't until Harry opened his 11th book did he come across anything interesting.

"Hey, I think I found something." He said excitedly, the light returning to his once dull eyes. "It says _**Animus Materia…**__for centuries it was suspected that much like animals, wizards can also find life-long mates called a __**vita socius**__ or life partner. It wasn't proven until the 13__th__ century when wizard, Ulysses V. Mortimer consummated the __**vita vinculum**__ or life bond with his mate Earlinda Vasuvius. As bonded partners they gained heightened senses and power and their physical traits were abnormal. Some symptoms of a bonding pair include, growth spurts, a difference in eye color, a difference in physical stature and appearance, and intensified power. This bonding was to proven to be rare because it wasn't until the late 16__th__ century that another case of the __**animus materia **__was detected. The wizard Bufford Fogwarth bonded with his mate Cephus Grant. This was the first homosexual bonding ever recorded and due to their more powerful magical abilities they…_

Harry flipped the page frantically hoping for more information, but found that the next page was missing. Both boys sat in shock. It seemed surreal to them that after all these years of hating one another they were actually destined to be bonded for life. It couldn't be possible. I mean Draco couldn't possibly be bonded to Potter and he was pretty sure that Harry was thinking the same based on the look on his face. Neither of them could say a word. Harry's brain refused to allow him to speak and Draco's mouth had gone dry minutes ago. What were they going to do about this? Apparently they couldn't ignore it if it was destiny, but there had to be another way.

Harry couldn't recall how long he had been sitting there before Madame Pince had to come over to their table and remind them that the library would be closing in five minutes. Harry nodded and stood, zombie-like walking towards the door. He didn't even bother to turn around and acknowledge Malfoy when he faintly heard him calling his name somewhere in his subconscious. His feet seemed to carry him of their own will back to Gryffindor Towers and into bed fully dressed. He hadn't the energy to even undress before his eyes closed upon their own accord and he drifted into a dreamless sleep.

Draco was livid that Potter had left him to put all those books back by himself. He was even more upset that he couldn't get a reaction out of the other boy as to what to do about their current situation. He had tried talking to him, but he seemed to be in another world. He hadn't responded much, except for a few choice nods here and there. Draco himself didn't know what he expected the boy to say. Something that would clear things up, he was hoping to no avail.

He sat staring at the ceiling of his dorm, which he shared with Blaise. He still couldn't quite grasp the idea that he was destined to be with Potter for the rest of his life. He guessed that it wasn't too bad. Potter was a hottie in the looks department and he was amazingly powerful, but could he get used to being with him after so many years of hating the raven-haired boy? Was he going to be able to drop everything and turn his life 180 degrees? What would his fellow Slytherins think of him? What would his family think of him?

The answer to that last question is what he feared most. He knew that his father would be enraged if he knew that he was dating Potter (which he wasn't, he reminded himself). His father was expecting him to marry a pure-blood witch from a respectable family and produce many little heirs, which was presumably impossible if he was stuck with Potter for eternity!

Draco massaged his temples with his finger tips. He was getting a headache and at this rate he would never fall asleep. He decided to take a small sip of a sleeping draught he kept in his bedside bureau to help him slip into unconsciousness. Hopefully, everything would be better with the rising of the sun he thought before he was overcome with fatigue.


End file.
